Humanity has reached the asteroid belt. Warring nations fight for control over a cache of ion and ore. Supplies this far deep in space are limited, so each reinforcement must be deployed carefully. Make the wrong choice and you’ll end up lost in the expanse beyond.

In this turn based 18-card strategy game, players build their space station and fleet from dual-purpose cards. Each card is a choice deployed as either an upgrade to the station or as a ship in the fleet.

Outpost 18 plays in 15-20 minutes and is designed to scratch the dueling strategy game itch. Opt for ore-based tactics to play aggressively, ion-based tactics to flood the board with effects and abilities, or labour-based tactics to overwhelm with card advantage.

Outpost 18 is trying to fund for a first print run, and you can help! If you are low on cash, no worries — the game will always be published as a free to play PNP, forever. Please note that due to Kickstarter’s rules, all funds will be collected in Canadian dollars (CAD), but I’ve included the estimated $USD in all prices.

I love games. Especially retro ones. I grew up playing endless hours on the SNES, and way too many weekends playing Magic: The Gathering. As I grew up, so did tabletop games, and now there are incredible games being released every week. But as games grew bigger, my free time had been drying up. I was looking for something that would give me a satisfying strategy crunch, but in quick bursts.

Micro games are generally dealt a bad hand — there isn’t always a ton of depth to be found out there when you are working with a few pieces of cardboard. I set out to push in the other direction. Outpost 18 is a meaty game in few cards. It rewards smart tactical decisions and encourages repeat play. I wanted to make a fun, deep strategy game that would fit in my pocket and could be played anywhere. I hope you enjoy playing it hundreds of times.

I want to stay lean. By keeping the whole package to eighteen cards and a sleeve, I can keep the shipping costs minimal, even as an indie designer. If I meet my minimum funding goal, it’s enough to cover the production for a small first run. It also would cover fulfillment, taxes, plus a small reserve for any problems that crop up.

Wanna dive right in? Here’s a community-made Tabletop Simulator link. Or want to see a sample round of matches? Here’s the great folks at Molten Meeple. Note that their video is for overview purposes and not to be referenced for rules.

If you prefer a written guide, Kurt at Meeple Mountain has done an awesome job with a game review.

Outpost 18 plays fast, but it will take a game or two before you figure out the flow of things. Most games will end in twenty minutes or less, but expect the first game to take a bit longer as you learn the cards.

Players are dealt two and three cards to start the game.

After the very quick setup, the game begins. The two players share a common pool of cards to draw their ships and upgrades from. Players set up their Station Core cards in front of them, and deal out the opening hands to begin battle.

Throughout the game, players build their Station Core tableau to provide resources.

Players go back and forth in turn based decision making. Each turn, a player can play one card from their hand as either a ship in their fleet, or an upgrade to their Station Core tableau. By upgrading the Station Core, players build more resources and shields, keeping them in the game longer.

Use your resource-fueled ships to blow stuff up.

By focusing on their fleet, players can use those generated resources to attack and overwhelm their opponent’s upgrades. Ultimately, your fleet has to destroy the opponent’s Station Core to win the game.

Each ship provides unique abilities to manipulate the game board. For example, some ships may grant extra cards played each turn, enabling combo plays. With enough resources, some ships can manipulate the board or destroy ships.

And those are the basics.

It’s a game of resource management and careful decisions. Tension builds as the upgrades and fleets grow. Suddenly, ships start attacking, and parts of the Station Core start to whittle away. Choose carefully. With only a limited number of cards in play, identifying the right choice at the right time can be the knock-out punch that ends it all.

Each game is printed on 305gsm black-core card stock, with die-cut rounded corners with a UV protective finish and shipped in a sturdy sleeve with instructions. Instructions rulebook is the size of a card, and printed in full colour. By keeping the game size and weight so low, I’m able to offer shipping in the price for US and Canada, and a few extra bucks to anywhere else in the world. Talk about thinking outside the box.

For the Outpost 18 Leather Edition, I wanted to do something really personal and unique. I’ve reached out to a local craftsman named Mike who is making one-of-a-kind leather sleeves from authentic, full-grain leather. I’m going to take his finished sleeves and laser-etch the game logo and backer number on each. This is a Kickstarter exclusive, and will never be offered again, ever, in this galaxy or any other.

We’re going to do the initial batch with black and white leather, but if you really want, we could probably make a few in a traditional dark brown. The laser etching will be subtle due to the dark material.

I’m really excited about how these have turned out. They fit the simple design and aesthetic of the game perfectly, and you get to support a real maker. Each one is cut by hand, stitched by hand, and packed by hand.

Here’s what the leather sleeve looks like with cards.

LEATHER SLEEVE DESIGN:

I’ve had some folks ask about a latch mechanism or a snap for the sleeve to keep everything inside. After testing these sleeves, I’ve determined it’s not necessary and I’ve opted to keep the design simple. The inside of the leather hide grips the cards firmly and keeps everything in place. I’ve had my copy in my bag for months and it doesn’t budge. I’ve thrown the sleeve around like a loon and nothing moves. It could probably go in the next SpaceX launch and we’d be good. Anyone wanna reach out?

SHIPPING, CUSTOMS & DUTIES:

All items are being shipped from my warehouse in Ottawa, ON, Canada. All items will be labelled appropriately for customs. I will not hide or lower the commercial value of any item to mask duties or import fees as that is unlawful and risky. I have four years of experience shipping e-commerce items around the world, and I will ensure each backer gets their order. Canadians, I feel your pain, and I am happy to provide free shipping all over our frosty nation.

It’s worth mentioning that the pledges and packaging were designed with inexpensive fulfillment in mind. If the game were even a bit heavier, it wouldn’t fit postage cutoffs and I couldn’t ship overseas. By keeping the game so small and light, we can use less expensive mail partners, and get more people their games. International backers, expect some delays with the tracking as it moves between delivery partners.

If you are a retailer interested in selling copies of Outpost 18, contact via kickstarter.

Stretch goals? Oh, those. I threw them out the airlock.

This campaign is all about getting Outpost 18 out there with no hiccups. It’s a micro campaign for a micro game. This game has the content it needs, with room to grow in the future. But to get there, we’ve got to start here.

If you want a stretch goal, here’s one: for every follower/like on BGG or instagram, I do a little dance with my cat. Every fifty-ish followers on Instagram and/or BGG, I’ll film one. His name is Silo and he loves to dance.

Risks and challenges

Outpost 18 is almost complete, and you can play it right away — the Print N’ Play files are available at playoutpost18.com, or at the top of this page, and they will be updated until the game is shipped. There will likely be some small changes to graphic design formatting, and colour before sending it off for final print. The rulebook is prone to changes as I find a way to make it fit the small format. With help from the community, my goal is to make the game as clear and understandable as possible while maintaining depth.

The goal of this campaign is to secure a small run printed in North America. If somehow we need to produce a ton of games, I may have to look to an overseas printer. I would prefer to use North American printers when possible. Keeping the print run in North America means speed and stability, whereas overseas would add time to production but potentially help by scale.

I operate a small makerspace and warehouse as my day job. Because the nature of our facility, I have a fulfillment plan lined up to get this small game out and in to the world safely without having to charge a ton. That’s a feat in Canada, eh? The plan is to hand-fulfill each shipment at our warehouse. I’ve got a great team of experienced people to help if things get out of hand. The plan is for the game to ship via tracked packet, with the upgraded leather sleeve version as a tracked parcel. I plan on allotting a percentage of games as reserve for any mail trouble.

I estimate the following timeline assuming a North American print run:

By end of August files will be finalized for print. End of September printing will be complete. End of October, games will be warehoused and packed, and the leather sleeves will be complete. Shipping to begin November/December 2019, with North American orders delivered within 2 weeks, and International orders delivered within 2-8 weeks.

If needed, I will take extra time to ensure the game is the best it can be before print. My goal is that this is the best $7 you’ll ever spend.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge CA$ 9 or more
About US$ 7

Outpost 18

A full copy of the game including 18 cards on quality stock with great snap and a premium coating. Packed with complete rulebook in a custom game envelope. Includes shipping to North America, worldwide extra.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge CA$ 45 or more
About US$ 34

Outpost 18 Leather Edition

For the collector and enthusiast, this Kickstarter exclusive pack includes the full game, envelope, and rules along with a carefully hand-stitched leather sleeve. Each sleeve is designed to hold the game and rules. It will feature your backer number laser etched on to the sleeve for a one-of-a-kind keepsake. Also, you'll get your name immortalized in the rulebook for the galaxy to revere. Free shipping to North America.